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3 Ways to Whiten Teeth using Whitening Gel
I’m often asked, "What’s the best way to whiten teeth?" If you’ve ever watched or browsed social media, there are some very unique suggestions on how to whiten teeth and almost all of them do not work. In this post, I’ll briefly discuss the most predictable way to whiten teeth and who it is best suited for.
Define "Whiten"
Whiten is a process by which a whitening gel, typically a form of peroxide, is applied to the tooth where the peroxide breaks up staining molecules and allows the teeth to appear whiter.
There are three ways by which whitening gel is applied to the teeth.
- Over the counter whitening strips strips are ideally designed for younger teeth that have not been exposed to excessive amounts of staining and have a thicker layer of enamel. They contain a weak form of peroxide gel since they are sold over the counter and are not as strong as the next two methods. That’s not to say they will not work on older teeth, but it may take longer to see any changes in color. This is by far the most cost effective way to go as long as you understand they may not work for you.
- Professional whitening trays, in my opinion, are the most predictable way to whiten since the strength of the whitening gel can be adjusted if needed. For heavily stained teeth a stronger concentration of gel can be used, as long as the patient can tolerate any sensitivity that may occur. If sensitivity is an issue, a weaker concentration can be used. Given enough time, typically 10-14 days of daily use, you will get a noticeable color change. Not only that, but the trays can be used in the future for touch up whitening after your regular cleaning appointment.
- In-office whitening is done in the dental office during a one hour to one and a half hour appointment under supervision of dental staff. It uses a very strong concentration of whiten gel applied every 15-20 minutes for up to four times as long as the patient can tolerate it. This method accounts for the most tooth sensitivity and I have only a few patients who can tolerated all four treatments. To me, the final results are less predictable and more whitening using trays may be needed to get the desired final result. It is however a good kick start to the whitening process and may cut the time needed to tray whiten in half.
Whitening tooth pastes only work to scour off surface stains using abrasives. If they do contain peroxide, it does very little good since it does not remain in contact with the tooth long enough to work. My advice is to use whitening tooth pastes very sparingly - no more than 1-2 times per week. Overuse can cause enamel to become thin from abrasives in the tooth paste.
For more information, give us a call or read all about our whitening services offered here.
